


Fordford Computermajigs

by HeidiMelone



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, M/M, fiddauthor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-04-30 14:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5166635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeidiMelone/pseuds/HeidiMelone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU in which Stanford does not get a research grant, and instead goes with Fiddleford to Palo Alto to make computers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Ford Goes on a Date with Fiddleford... sort of

Ford had not moved from his desk at all in the last six hours. It was light out when he sat down, and now it was dark outside. He'd been so immersed in his studies that he barely noticed when Fiddleford came in, except that the room became brighter- figuratively and literally- because Fiddleford turned the light on. Fiddleford had just gotten back from a three hour lab.

"So, Ford... I take it you haven't eaten anything since I last saw you?" Fiddleford asked, even though he already knew the answer. This was normal behavior for his roommate. Ford made a noise instead of giving a real answer. Fiddleford sighed and left the room.

Ford was finally distracted from his studies a few minutes later when Fiddleford set a plate of food right on top of his open book. He would have protested, but he knew it would have been a pointless. He and Fiddleford had already had this conversation too many times. Ford would say he didn't need to be taken care of and Fiddleford would list several examples, from that week alone, proving him wrong. It kind of amazed Ford that Fiddleford managed to worry about him and take care of himself when Ford could barely remember to sleep.

Ford started eating the meal Fiddleford brought him from the cafeteria, consisting of Southern comfort foods. Ford sometimes wondered if Fiddleford acted cliche on purpose. Then again, Ford probably acted like a stereotypical New Jerseyan sometimes without realizing it.

"Today's... Thursday, right?" He asked between bites, "that means you were just TA-ing. How'd that go?" Ford didn't actually care about his friend's lab, but he knew better than to just ignore him after he'd gone to the trouble of bringing him dinner. Plus, Fiddleford was cute when he told stories. His face could go through ten different expressions in one sentence.

"It went about as good as three hours in a room full of undergrads can go. But it's better than the other lab I TA for. That one's all freshman, and there's one girl and seventeen boys. I sure feel bad for her sometimes. Lady scientists have it rough. That reminds me- Y'know my friend, Olivia? She's a Women's Studies major- did ya know they had that? A whole major 'bout women! Anyway, she's been telling me all this stuff, and..."

Ford had stopped paying attention after the word "undergrads." Now Fiddleford was saying something a wage gap? He really needed to get back to work. He was working on his application for his research grant. He needed to go above and beyond to impress the Grant Committee. He had some ideas about what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to go. He was going to miss Fiddleford though. He was the only real friend Ford had made at Backupsmore. He thought Fiddleford might miss him too, but Fiddleford was naturally social and made friends easily. Ford brought his attention back to what Fiddleford was saying.

"So anyway, me and Olivia have a date for this Saturday, but she likes to do double dates with her best friend- says the group atmosphere is more comfortable and she's happier when other women are around- so, uh, do you wanna come? I know you're busy all the time, but everyone needs a break every once in a while and if it helps the gals don't expect us to pay for them and Olivia's friend is real cute and she doesn't have high expectations, so..."

_Shit,_ thought Ford, "That's your pitch?" he asked, "that she's a cheap date with low expectations?" Ford immediately wondered if that was the wrong thing to say. He shouldn't have to be sold on the idea of dating a woman. But then again, even if he _did_ want to date women, he was in college- he was too busy for a relationship. No one should think that's suspicious.

"It's just one date, Ford," Fiddleford said, "Please? For me?" he punctuated his plea with a small smile that was too adorable for a grown man.

Ford sighed. "Alright," he said, "I guess you're right... everyone needs a break or whatever. So, what are we doing on this date?" Ford had been on double dates before, in High School, but not very many. (Stanley eventually stopped trying to set girls up with him. Ford once overheard a girl telling her friends 'Don't go out with the Pines twins. One is too crude and the other is too polite' whatever that meant). He had no idea what to expect.

"We're goin' to a nice fast food restaurant and then a movie."

"Okay..." _Two things? How long was this date going to last???_ "What movie?"

"Oh, uh... I'm not sure. I think there's somethin' with aliens playin' right now."

_Well, at least the movie would be good,_ Ford thought, _That's what Fiddleford should have opened with_.

 

Saturday night arrived before Ford knew it.

They took Fiddleford's car to pick up their dates. It turns out Olivia and her best friend, Chloe, were also roommates, so they picked up their dates at the same time. Olivia was about average height, somewhat heavyset, and had long, dark hair. Chloe was small, with curly hair- cut shorter than most women's. Fiddleford greeted his date with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ford awkwardly extended his hand and luckily, Chloe shook it without making any comments about his fingers.

At the restaurant, a charming dive simply called "Burger's," the four of them sat at a booth: Fiddleford and Olivia on one side, Chloe and Ford on the other. The group atmosphere actually was pretty comfortable. As the date went on, and everyone made conversation, Ford began to relax.

Until they got to the movie. The movie itself was really good- it had aliens, after all- but Ford wasn't sure what he should be doing. Do people usually hold hands with their dates at movies? Fiddleford had his arm around Olivia's shoulders, but Ford didn't want to do that. He'd have to lift his arm up to get it behind Chloe and then he'd be blocking someone's view of the screen- and what would he do with his hand once it was on her shoulder? He'd have to keep perfectly still; every movement would be distracting. Ford tensed when he felt Chloe nudge his arm.

"Hey," she whispered, "Relax. You're doin' fine." She actually sounded reassuring. "I'm getting tired. Is it okay if I rest my head on you're shoulder?"

Ford nodded. This was okay. Soon this date would be over and he could get back to his normal routine. Constant science with the occasional interruption from Fiddleford.

After the movie, when they were all back in Fiddleford's car, Olivia whispered something in Fiddleford's car. "Oh. Um... really?" Fiddleford looked flustered, but he was smiling. "Alright. If that's okay with them." Ford had a bad feeling about this.

Olivia turned to face Chloe and Ford in the backseat. "Okay, here's the plan," she said, "We're gonna drop the two of you off in the guys' dorm. And Fidds is coming home with me." Looking at Ford, she added, "Don't worry, I'll try not to keep him out _too_ late," and winked.

Ford wanted to protest, but he stopped himself. Fiddleford hardly ever asked Ford to do anything for him, and this was probably the whole reason he'd asked him to come along on this date. Besides, Chloe seemed nice enough, and she 'didn't have any expectations' so she'd probably not mind just talking for an hour (or however long it took Fiddleford to get back). He just had to try not to let his jealousy show- there wasn't any reason to be jealous. He knew Fiddleford liked women, and friendship was good enough for him.

 

"Woah. You guys have a shit-ton of books," was the first thing Chloe said when she saw Ford and Fiddleford's room, "Whose poster is that? I bet it's Fiddleford's."

"Yeah, that's his," Ford answered.

"So, tell me, Ford. Why'd you go on this date? Be honest."

"What... what do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. You clearly have a lot goin' on if that pile of notes on your desk is any indication. Why'd you decide to go on this date?"

"...Because Olivia told Fiddleford it had to be a double date?"

"That's why he asked to you come along. Why'd you agree to it?"

"I don't understand what you're asking me." Ford hated admitting he didn't understand something, but it was true.

"Listen, I'm not an unobservant person. You spent more time looking at your roommate than at me tonight. It's fine, you know."

"Wait a minute. What are you implying?" Ford knew exactly what she was implying.

"Seriously, there's no need to get defensive. I have a crush on my roommate, too. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine." Chloe grinned.

"Waitaminute...you... are you a lesbian?"

"No, I'm bisexual. You aren't, though, are you?"

"...no, I'm not," that was at least true, "And I don't have a 'crush' on my roommate," that was less true.

"Okay, sure. Whatever you say," she didn't sound convinced. She walked over to Ford's desk, "change of subject, then. Tell me about some of this science stuff."

Ford raised his eyebrows, "you actually want to hear about it?"

"I mean, we gotta pass the time somehow. I'd suggest a game, but it looks like all you've got is boring nerd stuff."

Ford ignored the nerd comment and went on a long tangent about his research and his plans to go to Gravity Falls, Oregon. After about 15 minutes he noticed that Chloe had fallen asleep.

_Well, that was rude,_ he thought, _but not surprising._ He nudged her shoulder and she woke up.

"Woah, sorry about that, man," she said, "It's not that you were boring, it's just... actually I shouldn't lie. That was all really boring."

"How was any of that boring? They're anomalies! They're... statistically more interesting than everything else!"

"Well, you know what they say: It's not what you say, it's how you say it. But I think it's great that you want to get a scholarship to go pet a 7-legged cow in Oregon. I admire the ambition."

Ford couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "That's not what I..." he started, before deciding it wasn't worth the effort, "Okay, never mind. What are your plans for after you're done with school?"

"Get a job. Get a house. Get a significant other. Get a dog. Not necessarily in that order, but I probably need the job and house before getting the dog."

"That's it?"

"Life's full of surprises. I'll see what happens. Maybe I'll win a game show. Maybe I'll decide in my old age to become a taxidermist. Maybe I'll be abducted by aliens. You can't plan for this stuff. Hell, maybe by the time we're old, there'll be robots doing all the work. You never know. Anyway, I'm gonna get going, because I don't feeling like sitting around waiting for your buddy to get back from doing it with my roommate. He'll probably want to give me a ride home, even though it's within walking distance, and that would mean driving back and forth and it'd be awkward. So I'm just going to hang out in my dorm's lounge for a while."

"Oh. Yeah, that's... I don't think he thought that through."

"This was a fun night. Good luck with your science stuff." Chloe shook Ford's hand before leaving.

 

About an hour later, Fiddleford came back. "Welp," he said, "I just helped a friend figure out she's a lesbian." Ford raised his eyebrows at this, but said nothing. "It's kinda funny," Fiddleford continued, "Y'know, this isn't even the first time that's happened?"

"That's happened to you before?" Ford asked.

"Yup. 'Parently I'm just real good at helpin' people figure out their sexual preferences," Fiddleford sighed as he flopped onto his bed, "So if you even need help with that, I'm your guy."

Fiddleford had to be joking, Ford thought, so he responded with a joke of his own. "Thanks, Fidds," he deadpanned, "but I already know I'm not a lesbian."

Fiddleford snorted. "What about Princess Unattainabelle? Is she a lesbian?"

Ford laughed, "Maybe that's why she's 'unattainabelle.'" After a pause, he asked, "You and Olivia are still friends, right?" It was a non-sequitur, but if he didn't ask it would bother him.

"'Course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

Ford felt silly for thinking, even for a second, that Fiddleford would drop a friend for not being straight. Sure, most people probably would, but Fiddleford wasn't most people. "...No reason. I'm glad."

"Me too. She's a good friend. Would ya mind turnin' off the light? I'm tired."

"Sure thing," Ford thought he could use some sleep too. Dates were exhausting.

Fiddleford yawned, "G'night Ford."

"Good night, Fiddleford."


	2. In Which Ford Tries to Get Some Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ford tries to sleep, but is kept awake by childhood memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is really short and it has angst in it.
> 
> Trigger warnings for (non-graphic) child abuse and homophobia (q slur). So if you need to skip this chapter, that's fine. You wont miss out on anything that'll make the rest of the story confusing- this chapter is pretty much just backstory.

Ford didn't like trying to sleep. If he didn't stay up until he physically couldn't, he'd find himself awake for hours thinking of as many terrible things as possible.

He was relieved to find that Fiddleford didn't seem to be bothered by gay people, but that didn't mean he'd be okay with living with a gay man- especially if he found out that said gay man was attracted to him. Ford felt guilty for not telling him, but he couldn't risk scaring him away. Fiddleford was one of the only people who didn't call him a freak; Ford didn't want to lose his only friend.

The only real friend Ford had before was Stanley. There was also the neighbor kid, Daniel, who they hung around with one summer, but in hindsight it was obvious that Daniel was only nice to Ford so that Stan would be his friend. _Stanley would have been so popular if it wasn't for me,_ Ford thought.

It was Daniel who made Ford realize he was interested in other boys. Daniel and Stanley apparently had the same effect on each other, and Ford quickly became the third wheel. They would always hold hands when they thought no one was looking, and the way they looked at each other wasn't exactly subtle (but was anything Stanley did subtle?).

Ford remembered the afternoon Filbrick caught Stanley kissing Daniel in the backyard. Ford hid in their room like a coward when he heard the yelling, crying, and other loud noises from downstairs (he could never bring himself to stand up to Filbrick). One thing he could still remember clearly was Filbrick saying, _"No son of mine is going to be a queer!"_

When Filbrick finally sent Stanley upstairs, he had more bruises than Ford had ever seen. They built Fort Stan, even though by then they were getting too big for pillow forts, and pretended they didn't hear their parents shouting downstairs. _That was back when Ma still thought it was worth it to argue with him,_ Ford thought.

Ford really did not want to think about Stanley right now. Instead of focusing on the past, he tried to think about the future. He was so close to being done at this school, and then he'd be studying the weirdest, most unique creatures he could find. In just a couple of months, he could say goodbye to Backupsmore.

But saying goodbye to Backupsmore meant saying goodbye to Fiddleford. That would be the hardest part of leaving. _It'll be fine,_ Ford told himself, _We'll keep in touch... probably._

Ford looked across the room towards Fiddleford. He could just see the outline of his friend in the dark. He seemed to be sleeping soundly. He wished he could just bring Fiddleford with him after graduation, but he knew he couldn't.

Eventually Ford fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry friends.
> 
> On a positive note, it will probably be a shorter wait for the next chapter.


	3. In Which Fiddleford Rolls a One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their game gets interrupted.

For the first time in weeks, both Ford and Fiddleford had free time to play Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons. Last semester, Ford had perfected the hand trick he did with his 38-sided die, and he liked having the chance to show off. Fiddleford played as a Bard every time so he could incorporate his banjo into the game. At first, Ford had found the banjo music a bit annoying, but he had grown fond of it after a while. When the semester ended, he was going to miss having background music all the time.

Fiddleford had, unfortunately, just rolled a natural one. "Ouch," Ford said, "Instead of hiring you to be their group's minstrel, the bandits are disgusted by your song. Luckily, they are too offended by your lyrics to even rob you; unfortunately, the begin throwing things at you."

"Aw. Even the one I made friends with?"

"His ears are still recovering; you got hit by a couple of small rocks and a shoe before he gets the chance to help. Roll to-"

Their game was interrupted by a knock on the door. Fiddleford answered. It was Olivia and Chloe.

"Oh, hello," Fiddleford said, pleasantly, "What brings the two of you here?"

"Remember when we went on that date?" Olivia asked.

"Um. Yeah?"

"That was the worst decision I ever made in my life."

"The _worst? Really?_ That seems a bit-"

"I'm sorry, that was mean. Even if it _is_ true..."

"...Did you come here just to tell me that?"

"I'll handle this," Chloe said, "Congrats Fiddlesticks, you knocked up my girlfriend! Way to go!" Then she noticed Ford, who was still sitting on the floor where they had been playing. "Oh, hey Ford. Oh my god, were you two _roleplaying?_ "

Fiddleford, looking shocked, walked from where he was standing in the doorway and sat down on his bed. Olivia followed and sat next to him. Fiddleford stared at the floor.

Ford felt very uncomfortable. "Should I leave?" he asked.

"No, you can stay," Olivia answered, "You already heard the part about me being pregnant, anyway." She looked at Fiddleford, "You alright, Fidds?" she asked softly. Fiddleford nodded slightly. "Okay, listen. I came here to tell you I'm having this kid, alright? And I'm going to tell you your options in this situation. Okay?"

"M'kay," Fiddleford answered, barely audible.

"First of all, you aren't obligated to do anything. I can raise a baby myself if I have to." Fiddleford looked at her like he was offended she would even suggest that. Olivia continued, "but if you want to be involved, you can. We can have joint custody, or we could get married..."

"Married." It wasn't quite a question, but not exactly a statement either.

"That would make my parents happy, and, I mean, it would just be a... contract. For convenience. And then you could come to my place in Palo Alto, and watch the baby when I'm at work, like a house-husband."

"House-husband..."

"Well, you're going to invent stuff, so that's working from home, right? This is all up to you, you know. There's no pressure. But you should know that if you do move in with me, Chloe is going to be there too. I'll give you some time to think about it, okay?"

"What? I don't need time. 'Course I'm gonna marry you. That's the right thing to do," Fiddleford said, sounding suddenly more sure of himself.

"Fidds, I don't think there's a clear 'right' or 'wrong' in this situation," Olivia said.

Fiddleford grumbled something unintelligibly.

"Just, sleep on it, at least. This isn't the kind of decision you should make hastily. I'll talk to you again tomorrow." She turned to Chloe, who at some point during the conversation had stacked all of Ford and Fiddleford's 38-sided dice into a precarious tower, "Come on, hon. I wanna leave now."

"Later nerds," Chloe said as they left, "Just go back to your game like nothing happened."

They attempted to do just that, but Fiddleford was, unsurprisingly, distracted the entire time, so they called it quits early.

 

The next day, Fiddleford got back to their room later than usual. "Okay, I talked to Olivia again," he said when he came in, "I had to assure her that she wasn't pressuring me and that I made my decision on my own- I don't know why she thought I would change my mind; I want to live in the same house as my kid, y'know? So, anyway, d'you want to be my best man?"

Although it did not surprise Ford whatsoever that Fiddleford still wanted to marry Olivia, he was surprised that Fiddleford wanted _him_ to be his best man. Ford knew Fiddleford had at least two brothers (and Fiddleford was on speaking terms with _his_ family). Ford was about to answer when Fiddleford spoke again.

"The wedding's gonna be in the Summer, so you'll probably already be doing research by then, but... California isn't _too_ far from Oregon. You could come down for a couple days at least, right?"

Did Fiddleford really think Ford would miss his _wedding_? (Even if it was a sham wedding, Fiddleford was his best friend). "Of course I'll be your best man, buddy."

Fiddleford's face lit up, "Thanks, Ford," he said, patting Ford on the shoulder, "It means a lot."

Now Ford had two things to look forward to in the summer: studying anomalies, and seeing Fiddleford again.


End file.
